'Looped,' starring Valerie Harper, headed for Hippodrome, replaces 'Lombardi'
The originally announced play for March 5-17, Eric Simonson's "Lombardi," about the famed football coach, is not going to be touring after all. It will be replaced during that same time slot by Matthew Lombardo’s "Looped," a play about legendary actress Tallulah Bankhead starring multiple-Emmy Award-winner Valerie Harper. "Looped," which had a brief run on Broadway in 2010, was inspired by a true incident in Bankhead's twilight years, when she had to ... 
What should be a quick session in the sound studio turns into something much more complicated in Lombardo's play, when Bankhead arrives just a wee bit under the influence. The touring production of "Looped" that will visit Baltimore is the Broadway version directed by Rob Ruggiero. Although not a hit in New York, the work did yield a best actress Tony nomination for Harper. She enjoyed considerable success in the play from the start, with its 2008 premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse, and in subsequent appearances around the country, including Washington's Lincoln Theatre in a production by Arena Stage in 2009. Harper, who starred in "Golda's Balcony" at the Hippodrome in 2006, said in a statement that she is "thrilled to be resuming the role of Tallulah Bankhead in a play that has brought me so much joy and excitement," and is "looking forward to returning to the Hippodrome Theatre and bringing this hysterically funny comedy to Broadway Across America audiences.” Here's a little taste of what's in store: PHOTO COURTESY OF BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
